By Vincent O’Dowd

U2 manager Paul McGuinness has been with the band every step of the way. He took time out to speak to the band’s website on the eve of the “Vertigo” tour, and U2’s fifth member couldn’t be prouder of all they’ve achieved since starting out in a garage in Dublin in the 1970s.

“I’m baffled by how they do it,” McGuinness said after another all-night rehearsal in San Diego last weekend. “They are very ambitious. They don’t just want to be the best band with the most relevant record, they also want to be the best live act.”

McGuinness tells U2 fans to expect plenty of oldies, but lots of new offerings as well as “Vertigo” makes its way around the U.S. and the rest of the world.

“The tour set list will definitely be about half of the new album. We’re not about cabaret or greatest hits. People are expecting the new songs because they are on the radio and at the top of the charts,” McGuinness said.

The Edge couldn’t get wait go get going as rehearsals finished up last weekend. “It’s an amazingly affirming feeling that so many people who show up like what you do. And then you see people who know every word to every song, who know more about your music than you do, it’s amazing!” he said on the website.